Retail Stores Still Trying To Blame eBay For Shoplifting

Say That Again

from the seriously? dept

Thu, Jun 18th 2009 8:24am — Mike Masnick

Just as the record labels like to blame file sharing for their own business model problems, big retailers have been trying to blame eBay for all sorts of their problems for years. Last summer, the National Retail Federation (NRF), who represents the lobbying interests of big retail stores, started peddling a patently ridiculous line that using eBay led to crime. Seriously. They claimed that people got so addicted to selling stuff on eBay, once they ran out of their own things to sell, they would start stealing. Why even paraphrase it? Let's use their words:

"Thieves often tell the same disturbing story: they begin legitimately selling product on eBay and then become hooked by its addictive qualities, the anonymity it provides and the ease with which they gain exposure to millions of customers. When they run out of legitimate merchandise, they begin to steal intermittently, many times for the first time in their life, so they can continue selling online. The thefts then begin to spiral out of control and before they know it they quit their jobs, are recruiting accomplices and are crossing states lines to steal, all so they can support and perpetuate their online selling habit."

The problem, of course, is that this is complete hogwash. They presented no evidence whatsoever on this, and the actual stats on retail theft showed two things: first, retail theft has been on the decline for years and, two, that most retail theft is due to insiders, not shoplifters. So, if the retailers really wanted to stop theft, they should invest in better security against insiders. Yet, when asked why they didn't do this, a representative claimed that it didn't make any sense to make their employees into police officers. Yet it does make sense to pass draconian laws against eBay?

The truth is that the retailers aren't scared about eBay leading to shoplifting. They're scared about eBay, period. And they want to pass any laws to hurt eBay.

Of course, when presented with the fact that their claims were ludicrous, the NRF refused to back down, insisting its statements were accurate -- not in telling the actual truth, but in "reflecting the sentiments of many retailers that we work with." Seriously.

And, of course, politicians don't bother with fact, either, so the NRF was able to push legislation specifically designed to harm eBay and other online retailers, by adding all sorts of restrictions and liability over what can be sold through those sites. Of course, the NRF still has no evidence to back up its claims... so it looks like it's decided to try to manufacture some.

It recently came out with a report that pretends to show evidence that eBay leads to shoplifting. What's the data? Well, the NRF asked its own members what they thought the percentage of "new in box" merchandise for sale on eBay was stolen, and those members said they thought it was 50%. That's not evidence. That's just "reflecting" the highly biased "sentiments" of the NRF's members. As the NetChoice link above shows, there are lots of other problems with the NRF's position:

Despite retailers' claims that theft is getting worse, nearly 6 in 10 retailers say they now spend less on loss prevention compared to last year. Yet while cutting spending on loss prevention, these same retailers doubled their spending on lobbying over the last three years, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. And they are lobbying for new laws to restrict competition from online sellers.
A leading loss prevention consultant told retailers that over 2/3 of all store shrink is preventable, mostly by improving business practices, according to Larry Miller, Director of National Retail Research Group.
Retail theft is not being caused by the Internet. According to the NRF's survey, retailers don’t identify stolen goods online any more than in traditional places like street corners, swap meets, and pawn shops.
The NRF says that criminals use online marketplaces because they are anonymous, but these sites know exactly who the seller is, and disclose all that data to law enforcement officials whenever they ask. The truth is, an online auction is the last place a criminal would try to hide the sale of stolen goods.
The NRF claims that online sellers "threaten the health and safety of innocent consumers", yet Rite Aid, CVS, Target, and Walgreens have paid millions in fines for selling expired products--often by putting stickers over the expiration dates.
Overall, there is no evidence that organized retail crime has actually gone up -- the study only asks retailers whether they think it has increased. And that perception has only increased over the last two years -- concurrent with the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Isn't it much more likely that any increase in store theft may be a result of employees and consumers desperate to make ends meet?

That first bullet point, of course, is the most telling of all. While all of the evidence points to the fact that its insiders who cause the majority of any problem, rather than spending on dealing with that, they've massively increased their lobbying spend to try to craft anti-eBay laws.

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Filed Under: retail stores, shoplifting
Companies: ebay, nrf

22 Comments

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Anonymous Howard, Cowering, 18 Jun 2009 @ 8:44am

Here is a quote from the report:

"According to the survey, one-third
of retailers believe that more than 50 percent of 'new in box' merchandise sold through online auction sites is
stolen or fraudulently obtained, which is comparative to last year’s 34 percent."

Report (pdf) URL: http://nrf.org/modules.php?name=Documents&op=showlivedoc&sp_id=3137

NFR website URL: http://nrf.org/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=738

That's one third of 115 retailers - fewer than 40 retailers, and please note that it's "comparative to last year's 34 percent."

Is there any chance that the lawmakers can look past the amount on the donation check and focus for a moment on the facts?

Silly question.
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Ima Fish (profile), 18 Jun 2009 @ 8:48am

It's times like this when I want to pick up a 2x4 and go walking tall up against someone's head. The Baker walking tall, not the Rock walking tall.
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Aaron deOliveira (profile), 18 Jun 2009 @ 9:10am

easier way?
"When they run out of legitimate merchandise, they begin to steal intermittently, many times for the first time in their life, so they can continue selling online."

The thing I never understood about his claim is that none of these people with an "online selling habit" know how to purchase more inventory? That they some how find it easier to shop lift than to purchase and resell things? Recruiting accomplices and crossing state lines to steal seems like several times more complex and difficult than doing something like finding a wholesaler, etc.
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Rebel Freek (profile), 18 Jun 2009 @ 9:23am

Re: easier way?
Hell, there are wholesalers on Ebay, making even that much easier to purchase and resell...
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jun 2009 @ 9:27am

Yeah, um this I can believe. I used to work a job at the front desk of a busy mall-type building. Often when someone brought a lost item to my desk I'd put it in the lost and found box for about 2 weeks and if noone claimed it you can count on seeing the item on eBay, assuming it's worth the small trouble.
Mostly cellphones, PDAs, MP3 players, and other small electronics like that were placed on eBAy. Most of the other things were either just tossed or are still in the lost and found box.
It may be stealing to some, and to others it may not be, but hey who cares. 9 out of 10 times the owners never came to get the item anyway.
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Valkor, 18 Jun 2009 @ 10:15am

Re: easier way?
I think that soon the NRF is going to come out with a movie called Reefer..(ahem), I mean eBay Madness...
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jun 2009 @ 10:17am

wow, just wow
I can't believe people actually come up with this stuff. Piracy ruins business is complete bull, but at least it has enough believability to brainwash a good portion of people. This idea is just, just, wtf?
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Rosedale (profile), 18 Jun 2009 @ 10:28am

eBay?
Seriously who uses eBay anymore? That went out of style like 3 or 4 years ago.

My point is that eBay is the wrong target for this group.
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Tony Rezko, 18 Jun 2009 @ 10:30am

Re: wow, just wow
Look, a sizable portion of the population believed that Obama was a centrist who was going to cut taxes for 95% of Americans. Shows you how gullible a ton of the populace is.
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Rebel Freek (profile), 18 Jun 2009 @ 11:03am

Re: eBay?
Hey man, Ebay is great, where else can you get most of the crap gadget that come out of China...
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Steve, 18 Jun 2009 @ 11:22am

Ebay & Shoplifting
The only one who can afford to sell items with Ebay Fees & Paypal Fees would be shoplifters.And if the shoplifter gets a chargeback its no loss to them. Ebay & Paypal support theft and fraud.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jun 2009 @ 1:43pm

E-E-EVIL
Didn't you know? The Internet is E-E-EVIL!
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jun 2009 @ 3:16pm

Ebay is as guilty as any other pawn shop that accepts to knowingly trade in stolen property.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jun 2009 @ 4:19pm

Is there any chance that the lawmakers can look past the amount on the donation check and focus for a moment on the facts?
I'd be quite impressed if you can actually manage that little feat.
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!" --Upton Sinclair
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jun 2009 @ 4:20pm

Re:
Ebay is as guilty as any other pawn shop that accepts to knowingly trade in stolen property.

Except, they don't.
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romeosidvicious (profile), 18 Jun 2009 @ 4:21pm

Re:
Another AC who doesn't get the point. EBay doesn't accept any item. They never see the merchandise, they never handle it, they never pay anyone for it. They offer a service that connects two entities: a seller and a buyer and nothing more. They do not have the same legal, moral, or ethical obligations as someone who is purchasing used merchandise. It's not even the same market as pawn shops.

I must be having a really bad day...I am arguing with ACs again.
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CleverName, 18 Jun 2009 @ 5:56pm

Re: Re: wow, just wow
"was going to cut taxes for 95% of Americans"

Do you have any facts to support use of the word "was" ?
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vastrightwing, 19 Jun 2009 @ 9:56am

The real threat is selling used goods
Yes, the real threat here is the secondary market. Retailers don't sell as much new stuff when people are trading their used stuff. As we've read, game publishers want to stop the used goods market or figure out how they can profit from it. I've also read warnings on manufacturer's websites not to buy their products from the "internet" for various "reasons". This is the real target.
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elise (profile), 8 Jul 2009 @ 6:49pm

distorting market price values
very frustrating for sellers indeed since those inside thieves can lowball on market prices (since it costs them nothing!)- with all the ebay and paypal fees, sellers are having a much harder time making the money they used to. Seller info and helpful articles at http://thegreatebaysolution.com
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Chuck, 20 May 2010 @ 7:08pm

What the hell is Sports Authority doing on eBay?!!!
I stumbled on Sports Authority hawking it's stores inventory on ebay. Are they *ucking kidding! What the hell is going on? I thought ebay was just for small mom and pops and people just trying to buy and sell some things. Are these big corporate pricks trying to even move in on even the smallest businesses? How pathetic is this? I hope to God Sports Authority goes under. And soon! That goes for any piece of *hit corporate retailer out there. Take your corrupt practices and go to hell, douchebags!!!
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